Articles

Food blog writers are all over the internet. They often write
about restaurants, describing their experience with both the food,
the ambiance, and the service.

If you haven’t used these influencers to help improve your
business, you may wonder if they are actually beneficial, or if
they’re just enjoying a free meal on you.

While we would concur with many food experts, that food bloggers can be beneficial to your restaurant,
it can be hard to deal with the many requests for free food.

What’s more, these days nearly anyone with an Instagram or
Facebook presence who also writes a blog can call themselves an
influencers. So, how do you weed them out and find the ones you
really want to work with? And, how do you deal with all those
requests for free food?

In this article, we look at how to deal with blog writers
wanting freebies.

Ask Them for the ROI

When someone approaches you about writing a blog article about
your restaurant in return for free meals, you first want to ask
them what their return on investment (ROI) is.

Many so-called influencers may answer you with a blank look
because they really have no clear idea of their reach and how many
people might move their blog to your website.

If they don’t have any data for you and stats to back it up,
it’s a good idea to walk away as this is not a good use of your
marketing dollars.

On the other hand, if the blog writer has good web statistics
and even case studies to prove their results, you are just fine
offering to comp them a meal in return for a blog write up on their
website with a link back to yours.

Do Your Research

If someone comes to you begging for free food, you want to make
sure you do a lot of research.

First, visit their blog. Check out their articles – are they
well written? Do you like what they’ve said about other restaurants
or businesses they’ve reviewed? Is their website professional?

In addition, look at what they are writing about. Does it align
with your restaurant business? For example, if they’re writing a
blog for teenagers, and you are a fine dining establishment, this
is not your audience.

Next, you want to visit their Facebook, Twitter and Instagram
profiles. If they truly are influencers, they’ll have a large
presence on at least one of these social media platforms.

The most important thing you can do is your research. Make sure
these aren’t just people asking for free food. They need to offer
your restaurant a proven value.

Big Bloggers Have the Money

The other detail worth noting is the big, business-changing
bloggers most often have the money to eat in your restaurant, and
they are usually happy to do so.

You might find that these folks run their food blogging as a
business, and they see your partnership as mutually beneficial.

The biggest and most important blog writers in your area work by
a different code than the smaller bloggers, and they are more
likely to appreciate what it really costs you to give food
away.

So, do yourself a favor and go after the blog writers with the
most influence, as they’re more likely to work with you without
demanding free meals.

Create a Form

Making your blog writers requesting freebies do a little
work.

Consider creating a paper or online form that people have to
complete if they’re offering to write about your restaurant. If
they aren’t willing to fill it out, then you can avoid the
freebie-ask. (tweet this)

You can also include your minimum requirements. For example, you
may say that people need at least five thousand Instagram followers
to qualify. Or, you may say their website needs at least five
hundred visits per day to qualify.

You can ask them to provide a screen shot of their Google
Analytics to prove web traffic. For social media, you can look to
verify their data.

It’s completely up to you to set your requirements for free
meals. Decide what your threshold is and stick to it. If people
have too few followers or website visits, it’s not even worth your
time.

If, after they return the form to you, you decide to pass on the
relationship, it is a good idea to send an empathetic “rejection”
letter. After all, you don’t want to engender bad feelings.

You might say something like this: “Thank you for applying
to collaborate with our restaurant. While we love your blog and
Facebook feed, we are currently inundated with requests for free
meals and unable to take on any partnerships without at least
10,000 followers or 1,000 website visits per day. Please reach back
out to us when your following has grown. We are so grateful to hear
from you that we’d like to offer you a 10% discount on your next
meal at our restaurant…”

This way you’ve done what you can to prevent an unhappy blogger
from talking negatively about your restaurant. You don’t have to be
held hostage by saying no, but you do want to respond as kindly as
possible to prevent future issues.

Final Thoughts

While it sounds easy to give every blog writer who asked a free
meal with the hope of building or strengthening your business, the
reality is you could go bankrupt in the process.

Align your restaurant with the right people at the right time
who truly are food influencers in your community, and your
restaurant will gain from the relationship.

Don’t be afraid to say no to those who aren’t the right fit.
Influencer marketing can be quite valuable for your restaurant, but
only if it’s targeted and relevant to your restaurant. (tweet this)

Consider approaching influencers on your own instead of waiting
for them to come to you.

This way, you’ve done your research, and you know which blog
writers will provide the biggest value for your restaurant. You can
offer them free food and benefit from it in the long run.

At Restaurant Engine, not only do we create great,
responsive websites, but you can count on us to create a website
that drives business to your restaurant and edges you above the
competition by using mobile-friendly design with a terrific user
experience. Ready to take the plunge and create a website with an
online menu, blog and beautiful photos? Get your free website
consultation today!